my shopping guide to buying spices
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when i buy my spice i only want the best
and it always pays to get expert advice
burger erath has been selling every
spice under the sun in london's knotty
hill
for over 20 years so she really knows
what she's talking about
i love spices the smell the texture the
color spices are so versatile something
very very simple can be really
transformed into something really
delicious
with thousands of aromatic ingredients
on her shelves if it smells good
she sells it if you buy spices buy them
whole
then you can try roast them grind them
when you need them and then they will
release the essential oils
whole spices you can keep for years give
them a good
brushing wine bottle with your rolling
pin or
whatever and you see there is still
aroma and you can taste it you smell it
then it's fine there's four
main spices one is sweet one is sour
one is bitter and one is hot this is
cinnamon
and that is really a great example of a
sweet spice
when you buy a cinnamon quill like this
you have to
check that you have loads of different
layers in here then you can either
grind this or you'd break a piece off i
mean this doesn't smell of anything now
but if you roll it in your hand just
quickly like this
and then you smell it again this is just
unbelievable if you have
spaghetti bolognese put a pinch of
cinnamon in it to bring out the flavor
so monk this is one of those really
special spices
sour like a lemon but it has a salty
aftertaste
i use this anywhere from marinades to
salad
you haven't lived unless you tried it a
great example for a bitter spice
would actually be a turmeric this is
actually a root it grows
in the ground like ginger use it very
very sparingly
about that much will actually color you
a curry
or rice dish wonderful yellow watch your
fingers you
get really yellow fingers from it and
then we come to the hot
spices one spice that i couldn't miss
and that is hungarian paprika paprika
is the powdery form of a bell pepper
what makes the hungarian paprika
different is that they actually crowd on
vineyards it's sort of between the vines
it has a
sweetness and it has a sharpness to it
i have it in ice cream i have it on fish
i have it everywhere burger spot on
about the power of spices to transform
dishes whether savory or sweet
here's my quick guide to the spices i
use most
black pepper this is the spice i
couldn't do without always buy a whole
and grind yourself so you get the
freshest flavor
cardamom these pods come in green or
black types
and have a fantastic spicy sweet taste
brilliant for everything from curries to
rice dishes and puddings
coriander these citrusy seeds are
perfect hole in pickles
or grind to use in fragrance stews and
soups
cumin a savory spice that's pungent and
nutty it's great in marinades for
delicious meat
and fish then cinnamon sweetly fragrant
and great with apples or in cakes and
nutmeg
warm and spicy it's delicious and a
bechamel sauce
finely saffron these sweet strands
infuse a brilliant bright red color
and are great in risottos and even
though it's more expensive than gold a
pinch goes a long long way
store your spices properly and they'll
last for years you keep it air tight
in a tin or in a glass jar in your
cupboard
don't be scared of spices like an
aftershave or perfume you have to select
it yourself it has to fit in with your
taste
and with your kitchen supermarkets and
good local shops sell an amazing array
of different spices so there's no excuse
for not being adventurous
be bold find what you like and spice up
your cooking
marinade in the lamb first chili's we're
going to use a mixture of red
and green take off the tops and just
slice
in garlic
crushed don't worry about chopping these
ultra fine just
get it in there cooking for up to three
hours
everything sort of blends and almost
sort of purees itself together
smoked paprika goes brilliantly well
with the chilis
two teaspoons in a touch of dried
oregano
some little cumin seeds the blend and
the fragrance
that they give out is extraordinary they
release a little oil as well
and helps to tenderize the lamb a touch
of salt
pepper cinnamon
that sort of sweetens up the lamb
olive oil just a tablespoon
and the olive oil helps to sort of stick
all those wonderful spices
to the lamb jump in just start
really rubbing at this stage you can
leave the lamb to marinade for anything
from half an hour to overnight
allowing the spices to really penetrate
the meat giving amazing results
when you tuck in delicious vegetables
carrots and onions and that's it sliced
secret slicing vegetables from braising
is not getting too thin
you slice the onions too thin they burn
you've got that horrible char
taste on that slow braised grazing it's
just a chef's term that means cooking in
liquid on a low heat
making the meat incredibly moist and
beautifully tender
so the secret of braising is having a
really nice thick
durable pan get that nice and hot
just a touch of olive oil lamb in
hold the bone because you're in control
then into the pan
i want that white fat to start rendering
so it'll add more fat therefore making
it
a lot more flavoursome as it braises
chilies cinnamon
in mix that up and don't be scared
you're not burning this you're sort of
searing the lamb shanks and this is the
important part right at the very
beginning
we're getting the collar on the lamb
which washes off as it braises in the
oven so
be generous with that colour vegetables
in
wow and then a couple of baileys
so now you lift the lamb up and get the
lamb
sat on top of the vegetables now just
glaze the pan with red wine
deglazing means that you're you're
cleaning the bottom of the pan and
you're getting that amazing flavor
washed off and lifted up into that sauce
can really
transform that dish always delays
then bring to the boil and cook for
about 10 minutes to reduce
the wine is reduced down by half now
with the stock
bring that stock back up to the ball and
then into the oven now
don't cover it when you cover it all the
condensation comes off
the lid your lamb becomes gray all this
effort and that
exciting spice gets washed away no lid
and into the oven for three hours
a slow cook on a low heat of 160 degrees
gives the spices time to work
and transform the meat so it's
mouthwateringly tender
now look at those
out on to a plate you can just see that
meat
sliding down juicy and incredibly tender
grab it by the the shank rolling around
that
rich delicious sauce
look at that and get your sauce
nice beautiful just get some mint
don't chop it just pick that fresh mint
and let it
snow and there you go a very spicy
delicious melting in the mouth lamb
shank
amazing
you